Hundreds of junta troops have been deployed and structures fortified in downtown areas of the Karen State capital, Hpa-An City, which is firmly under junta control.
Since 4 October 2024, hundreds of junta troops have taken positions in downtown Hpa-An and surrounding areas, including the under-construction Zwegabin Plaza shopping mall on Bogyoke Road, the Denko fuel station at the junction leading to Hlaingbwe Town, Kyar Inn Hill, and along Htaungwi Kanna Road.
"About 100 junta soldiers are stationed at the Zwegabin Plaza building, a high-rise building on Bogyoke Road in downtown Hpa-An, with another 50 positioned at the Denko fuel station near the junction leading to Hlaingbwe. There are also junta troops deployed, and covert sentinels placed in large compounds around Kyar Inn Hill and along Htaungwi Kanna Road. We don't know the exact reason behind this. It might be due to a possible visit from a high-ranking junta officer or a plan the junta is preparing to implement in Hpa-An, but we remain uncertain,” said a Hpa-An resident.
Locals have also reported seeing large numbers of conscripts arriving over the last few days at the junta’s Division 22 base in Hpa-An City and then being posted in batches to the townships of Kyondoe, Nabu and Hpapun and Myaing Gyi Ngu Village in Hlaingbwe Township, Karen State.
A source with knowledge off junta military activities in Kyondoe Township said: "The junta's new recruits and reinforcements, seemingly sent from Hpa-An, continue to arrive at the Kyondoe-based Light Infantry Battalion [LIB] 545 and LIB 546. Additionally, the Border Guard Force [BGF] faction led by Bo Mya Hlaing transported some of the junta conscripts in small passenger vehicles to these two battalions. Some of the troops were also sent to No. 12 Military Operations Command [MOC-12] in Yin Khwe Taung, as well as junta camps in Chaunghpyar and Myapataing villages in Kawkareik District, Karen State. From MOC-12, they will be further deployed as reinforcements for the junta’s Operation Aung Zay Ya along the Myawaddy-Kawkareik Asia Road section.”
Operation Aung Zay Ya started on 4 April 2024. It is the junta’s attempted offensive to retake areas of Karen State it has lost, including the Asia Highway, Myawaddy and Kawkareik.
Recently, junta forces in Kyondoe, Kawkareik, and Myawaddy have significantly increased their arbitrary shelling of nearby civilian areas and villages. Junta forces have also recently been conducting daily operations to retake the Kawkareik to Myawaddy section of the Asia Highway, leading to frequent clashes with resistance coalition troops led by the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA).
The junta has also increased the amount of daily reconnaissance flights over Karen State and junta aircraft have bombed the townships of Hpapun, Myawaddy, and Kawkareik and the sections of the Asia highway where there has been fighting.
